


A light on a chain

by zopponde



Category: Emelan - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Gen, Rarewomen Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-05-10
Packaged: 2018-01-24 06:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1594412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zopponde/pseuds/zopponde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daja and Tris do a project together, without any living metal or stray lightning or anything. It's a change of pace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A light on a chain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Morbane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morbane/gifts).



> Pinch-hit for Morbane. I'm afraid this might not fit your letter very well, and it's quite rushed and so on. Hopefully you can at least basically enjoy it, and I hope you had fun with the rest of the exchange!

The heat given off by the glass forge is a friendly stranger to Daja; her skin prickles in excitement at the prospect, and though she has control over her magic it still calls to the flame and asks to reshape metal in the coals.

But it is not a smith's forge. It belongs to a glassmaker in Summersea, one with whom Tris has struck a deal to allow temporary use for her and her sister. Daja is not here for the forge--Tris doesn't even need help to keep the fire at a steady temperature--but it is hard to tell her magic that. She works on setting glass globes into bronze jewelry, and as she makes the delicate chains she finds that her smithing itch becomes more tolerable.

There is not much to be said for her company: Tris is involved in her work, and the few things she says travel through their shared magic rather than sparing breath for trivial chatter. There is also Chime, who Daja has placated with offerings of failed jewelry; the glass dragon was found to be easily enchanted by brass, and now provides a faint tinkling purr from a small bed of uneven wires and misshapen pendants.

As pleasant as Chime's melody is, it doesn't aid in conversation. It isn't until after midday, when Tris sets down her blowpipe and says, "It's about time that we should try to eat, isn't it?" that Daja realizes how long she's been without saying anything.

Standing and stretching, Daja suggests a local eatery; Tris purses her lips, preparing to refuse, but Daja says, "I'm not going to wait until we can get back to my home. I'll pay for you, if that's an issue."

Tris seems to hesitate on this. "Fine," she says. "There's a good place to eat just down the street a bit, we'll be able to get back to work sooner."

It takes some work to coax Chime off of the brass pile. Tris doesn't have nearly enough patience for her, and has to drape a few of the too-small bracelets of the pile around the dragon's neck before she agrees to settle into her sling. "And I thought she was spoiled before," Tris says to herself; then, to Daja, "Be careful how much you give her. She's more than difficult enough to travel with without a dragon's hoard."

Daja grinned to herself as she picked up her Trader staff. "I'll try to find some other way to keep her from bothering me when I work, then," she says as they step onto the street. "I'll also have to find a better use for those scraps, though. They don't often bring anyone as much pleasure as they seem to give our little friend."

With an indignant huff, Tris shakes her head and leads the way down the street. The sisters find the dining hall quiet, having missed the midday rush; as they wait for their food to be brought out, the two girls sit in silence. Daja is comfortable in silence, but she has a hard time remembering being with Tris quite so long with so little conversation as today. She knows that, of the four foster-siblings, Tris has effectively been the least enthusiastic about reforging their old bonds; Daja in particular had never been quite as close with Tris as she had been to Sandry or even Briar, making them seem even more distant.

This is one of the reasons why she had suggested the project that they now worked on together, the glass pendants that give off light and warmth. It was something that the two of them could do together, and though they might not fetch as much money as Daja's living metal creations they could be made with little forethought and in good haste.

Daja's thoughts are interrupted when Tris says, "I never asked, how were the talks with Tenth Caravan Idaram?"

"Pleasant," Daja says, "but not too productive. It's difficult to get a specific price without a finished product or even a solid number of how many I can give them." She smiles to herself. "I suspect that Polyam only bothered to start talking so early because I'm the only lugsha with whom she trades."

"Was the first price good?" Tris asks.

Daja shrugs. "Two gold astrals for every three necklaces." Daja wonders about her sister's interest--Tris wouldn't go out of her way to make this conversation if she didn't have some interest in the matter--and asks, "Would you like to be included on the trade talks?"

Hesitating, Tris says, "I wouldn't want to intrude. I know you value your time with Polyam."

"It would hardly be a problem to share the food and company with my sister," she says. "And I could introduce you to the caravan if you wanted to sell your own goods. They'll respect you more if you do your own talking," she points out.

Tris nods. "If you think that'll be alright, then…"

"Of course it will be. When do you think we'll be finished? It would be better to wait until we've finished at least the first batch," Daja says.

"I only have the forge for two more days," Tris answers. "I'll stop working around midday the day after tomorrow to clean up." She doesn't have to explain the need for clearing the scene of her magics, not with Chime poking her head from her sling. "If you're behind, though, I can spend the last day doing the bigger globes. They might not fetch as much, but they'll sell."

Daja shakes her head. "Tenth Caravan Idaram won't leave for another week. I'll have plenty of time to finish."

Tris purses her lips thoughtfully, and Daja wonders what could have been on her mind. "I might make those anyway," she finally says. "I'm not sure when I'll next be able to, without having to purchase someone else's glass, and I want to see how well I can do with those."

Surprised, Daja says, "You'll do fine. You've done it a thousand times before."

"I haven't sold them," she points out. "Not in numbers, and not to Traders. I've given them as gifts and I've sold them cheaply or exchanged them for something from people I know. But I can't do that forever, or all my friends will have more glowing globes than they know what to do with."

Oh, Daja thinks to herself. "If you're having any financial trouble--"

"I have to support myself," Tris says. "It's very nice of you to help with the pendants, I'm sure my cut will be enough for a long time. But I have to establish a way to keep making my own money, and you know I won't do anything extravagant with my magic. Selling globes will get me started," she goes on. "That's all I need for now."

It's not as solid a plan as Daja would be comfortable with; but Tris has learned lesson after lesson on how flexible she has to be to survive. She doesn't work on solid ground so much as she does what the winds say she should. She'll start with the globes, Daja thinks, and it'll get her by until she can find something more practical than shining trinkets. Maybe eventually she'll find something even better than her first prospects, something that keeps her fed even better than battle magic.

With a slow nod, Daja agrees.


End file.
